


Illium: The Romantic Conclusion to Mass Effect 3

by HisAsgardianAngel



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Ashleymance, Babies, Custom Commander Shepard, Destroy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Engagement, F/M, Fluff, Oneshot, Post-Mass Effect 3, Renegade Commander Shepard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 02:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9102820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HisAsgardianAngel/pseuds/HisAsgardianAngel
Summary: Commander Harvey Shepard has been working as a cop on Illium after the destruction of the Reapers. Now that his girlfriend, Virmire survivor Ashley Williams, has given the couple their first child, the Commander would like to surprise her with a little gift of his own.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nightingale_N7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightingale_N7/gifts).



Illium was one of the most beautiful colonies in the galaxy. The skyline at night, when all the buildings were alight and glittering like the stars…it was one of the most serene, gorgeous sights former Commander Shepard had ever seen. He was mostly a cold, calculating man…at least on the outside. But there was a side of him that only his girlfriend ever got to see, the same side that was currently looking out through the walls of their expensive high rise apartment and admiring the rain as it softly pelted against the glass. In his arms, swaddled tight and warm, was the most important person in the world to him, who also stared out at the night before them as she made tiny little cooing noises and wrapped her tiny fingers around his own.

He looked down at his new baby girl and smiled gently, still in awe that the harsh red glow of his cybernetic implants did not scare her. He'd worried about that a lot while his girlfriend had been pregnant. Elise Arabella Shepard had been born not even a week ago, and she already had her father wrapped around her finger. It had been a tough week of adjusting, and Shepard's significant other, Lieutenant-Commander Ashley Williams, had gone to the store to get some fresh air. She wasn't used to being a mother, and even though their daughter, who they had affectionately nicknamed "Bella" was a generally good natured baby, Ashley was used to the stresses of combat, not parenthood.

Shepard was having a hard time adjusting himself, however he knew better than to try and keep Ashley home. She wasn't that kind of woman. After the reapers had been destroyed and the mass relays reconstructed, the Commander quit the Alliance Navy due to PTSD related issues, and settled down on Illium where he'd been offered a job as a part of the police force. Ashley had insisted that that line of work would do nothing but worsen Shepard's condition, but he didn't care. He wasn't cut out for the kind of work where you pushed papers all day and wanted to kill yourself by the end of your nine to five shift.

Ashley, on the other hand, kept her position with the Alliance. This unfortunately meant that she was often not home, and the time she had taken off for her pregnancy was among some of the happiest the couple had experienced since the war ended. Shepard was dreading her going back…he wanted to keep her for himself. Keep her for their daughter. The Alliance had taken too much from them already, but it wasn't Shepard's place to ask the love of his life to retire. The military was where her heart was. He was torn from these thoughts when he heard the pot on the kitchen stove begin to boil over.

"You smell that, Bella? Mommy's going to be happy when she gets back, I cooked her favorite." He bounced his little one carefully in one arm as he quickly sprinted to the stove to turn it off. Ashley was fond of noodles, just about any shape and flavor. But Shepard would never forget the first time he had taken her to the Zakera Wards and they'd run in to the ramen vendor on the 28th floor…she had looked at him like a kicked puppy when he told her they didn't have time to stop for a bite to eat. Guess who was strolling in to a gun fight with a piping hot bowl of ramen not even ten minutes later? Her big brown doe eyes had that effect on him.

"I hope she likes it…the Asari merchant that sold the shit to me said it was top quality. Then again…goddamn Asari was looking me up and down like I didn't belong there." He stirred the noodles one last time as he said this, planting a kiss to the baby's forehead and whispering 'don't tell your mother I said that in front of you'. He poured the ramen into two bowls and set them on the dining room table to cool, expecting that his counterpart would be home any moment.

Bella looked to be falling asleep in her father's arms, her big brown eyes fluttering as he held her close to his chest. He ruffled her tiny tufts of blonde hair and laid her down in her crib gently, rushing off to the hallway closet to get something he'd been meaning to give Ashley for a long time. Moving the mobile that hung above the cradle to the highest setting so the baby would not be able to reach, he delicately tied a string to one of the dangling stars. From this string he tied a beautiful yet simple diamond engagement ring, and left his daughter with a small note pinned to her cozy winter onesie. A smirk crept onto his face as he heard the key turn to the front door, and he sneakily crept from the nursery back into the dining room to greet his love.

"Harvey? It's awfully quiet." She called out as she hung her coat up at the door, earning a soft shush from her boyfriend.

"It's quiet because a certain little princess is asleep in the next room." Ashley puffed her bottom lip out in a pout.

"Aw, I wanted to hold Bella before she went down for the night." Harvey laughed and pulled Ashley against him by her waist, their fingers threading together lovingly as he did so.

"Oh believe me, she'll be up in an hour or two. The kid eats like it's going out of style." Ashley snorted.

"You're telling me, you're not the one who has to put her on your boob eight times a day." Harvey ignored that quip, pulling the lieutenant's lips against his own roughly. She moaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Shepard's neck as he held her tighter against his chest. When she pulled away, she sniffed the air lightly, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Do I smell miso?" Harvey chuckled.

"Damn right you do. I cooked dinner." Ashley walked to the dining room table, impressed beyond belief at what was waiting on her. The ramen actually looked decent, unlike the time he'd tried to christen their new house with varren steaks on the grill…she hadn't let him touch the kitchen utensils ever since.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Commander?" Shepard shrugged, a flicker of mischief dancing behind his eyes.

"Oh…nothing." Ashley slapped him playfully and plopped down into one of their beat-up old dining room chairs.

"Six years and you're still a horrible liar." Harvey scoffed.

"I resent that remark, I happen to be an excellent liar. You just happen to have low tolerance for bullshit." Ashley laughed; not one of those graceful, dainty little laughs that you expect from perfect housewives in perfect little families. It was one of those laughs that make other people laugh at how obnoxious it is, and it even came with a cute little snort at the end. Harvey fell in love with her all over again every time she laughed like that.

"Harv, you couldn't lie with a straight face if the fate of the galaxy depended on it. I'm still thoroughly convinced it is the only reason you cured the genophage. You knew you couldn't lie to Wrex and get away with it." Shepard winked at her.

"You don't think I had the quads to do it, do you? I'll show you just how magnificent and manly my quads are later tonight if you don't believe me." Ashley pretended to gag herself as Harvey took a seat in the chair opposite her, watching her intently as her nose scrunched up in mock-disgust.

"Eww. Remind me why I'm dating you again?" Her tone was flirty, and he chuckled to himself quietly as he took a bite of his food, waiting to gauge her reaction to the flavor. Ashley grabbed a large sum of noodles with her chopsticks and shoveled it in her mouth, a small, barely audible moan of delight escaping her lips. Though minuscule, Harvey heard it loud and clear. He beamed at her.

"Do you like it?" Ashley nodded as she swallowed it down.

"Actually, yes. You've impressed me, Shepard. Where did you learn to cook ramen?" He shrugged again, not really wanting to admit how much time and preparation had gone in to making this meal for her. He didn't want to ruin the surprise.

"Eh, just an old recipe of my mom's."

"Well remind me to call Hannah later and thank her. It's delicious." As Ashley said this, she narrowed her eyes at him slightly, and he knew she knew his was lying. Thankfully nothing more was said about it as the couple continued eating, talking about their days and what they thought life was going to be like when Ashley went off of maternity leave.

It wasn't something Harvey liked to think about…Ashley going back to work. He didn't want to have to leave his little girl with a sitter…neither he nor Ashley were exactly the picture of trusting other people. He wanted to change the subject, and thankfully, a sweet little cry from the other room offered just the opportunity.

"I think someone misses their mommy." The smile that crossed Ashley's face was priceless as she practically tore herself away from the table to go check on her baby. The Lieutenant-Commander might have been better acclimated to combat that motherhood, but there was no doubt in Harvey's mind that she loved their daughter more than anything in the whole galaxy. It radiated off of her every time she heard her, held her. It was the best thing about being a father so far, getting to witness that. Harvey waited for it…for her to notice. There was a dead silence for a few moments, Shepard's heart beginning to beat harder as an odd sense of nervousness washed over him.

"Harvey? What is this?" He finally heard, taking that as the okay to walk into the nursery behind her.

"What do you think it is, Ash? Go on, read it." He urged gently, watching her lovingly as she carefully removed the note from their daughter's clothing and read it aloud.

"My dearest Ash, I know you love poetry because you told me you do. So here is some poetry I wrote especially for you. I'm not good with words, only guns and explosions and strife, but I'd really love it if you'd do me the honor of being my wife." Harvey didn't give her time to react to his horribly sappy and out of character love poem, pointing to the mobile with a wolfish grin on his face.

"Look up." She obeyed, untying the sting and holding the ring in her hand as if she were in shock. She stared at it for a few moments, blinking back tears as she fought to find the right words. She never thought Harvey would do anything like this…he just…wasn't that kind of guy.

"Harvey…" Shepard scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and shuffled his feet. The lack of an answer was making him anxious.

"You're giving me cold sweats over here, Ashley…" At that she finally looked up, big brown eyes shining with tears and a bright goofy smile on her face.

"Y-Yes, you goober, of course I'll marry you." She laughed airily, relief washing over Shepard as he moved to quickly take the ring from her and slip it onto the third finger of her left hand, where he hoped it would remain for the rest of their lives. He pulled her close from behind, nuzzling her neck gently as she cradled little Bella against her chest.

"I love you, you know that?" She sighed happily to herself and reached back to take him by the hand, squeezing his fingers gently as she did so.

"I know, Harv. I know."

**Author's Note:**

> all characters but wee baby belong to Bioware


End file.
